Opinions needed (jewelry)

E.F.B.

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Hello! I've never posted on this part of the forum before, but I've been reading the threads and it's great!

I have an Etsy shop with knits, crochet and jewelry, and while I've gotten lots of likes and encouragement I've yet to make a sale. So, I've been thinking over ways I might narrow down my market and find my target audience.

I've had an idea for my jewelry, but I'm not sure if it's a good one, which is why I'm here asking for opinions.

I've found that I'm very much inspired by beautiful book covers, movie posters, and the stories that go with them, and I think it would be so much fun to make jewelry inspired by these things. But do you guys think there would be a market for it?

I'm also concerned about copyright infringement. If I was to make jewelry like this I would NOT use any actual images or characters from the books or movies in my design or my shop. I would simply design based off of the general aesthetic (ex: The Jungle Book would result in a jungle themed necklace) and in the case of being inspired by a story, would try to use things symbolic of what happened in that story. I would also make it clear that I was simply inspired by the book/movie/whatever and this is not official merchandise. Would I still have to worry about copyright issues?

Looking forward to seeing your opinions.

*written on my phone. Pardon if I missed any atrocious typos.
 

Maryn

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FWIW, there are plenty of Etsy shops which openly violate copyright or trademark, selling paintings, earrings and pendants, etc. of book covers and movie posters. It's not a risk I'd want to take, but it seems Etsy isn't likely to bother you about it.
 

E.F.B.

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I know, and I've seen some of those shops, but I'd just as much rather not take the risk either, and stay on the up and up. :)
 

SWest

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It isn't up to esty to police shops, but trademark holders and their agents routinely sweep for violators. Once they've issued etsy the take down notice, your shop is closed. Full stop.

Jewelry is HARD to break into if you don't already have a customer base elsewhere/web. So my recommendation is to expand your entire range of offerings. Twenty-two items is not a lot of inventory, and you have to keep the etsy algorithms pinging! Join some promotional teams so that you can get some other ideas about how to improve your algorithmic relevance so that your products are searchable by random etsy shoppers. PM me if you want a few team recommendations.
 

sassandgroove

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swest I'm in the planning stages and don't have a shop yet. Mind if I PM you later?


E.F.B just yesterday I saw themed items like Harry Potter house themed pillows that were just the colors of the houses. I think your idea is a good one. I'm in the beginning stages and I've been looking at what is already for sale to figure out how I can stand out. Good Luck.
 

E.F.B.

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Jewelry is HARD to break into if you don't already have a customer base elsewhere/web. So my recommendation is to expand your entire range of offerings. Twenty-two items is not a lot of inventory, and you have to keep the etsy algorithms pinging!
Oh yes, I am VERY aware of this. :) I am literally working every day to make new things. It's just slow going since I am truly designing my jewelry from scratch and while I do have some supplies already on hand and use as much of it as possible, I often have to supplement by buying other things in addition. Then there is the putting the item together, photographing, etc. But I'm always working on increasing my stock. :)


Join some promotional teams so that you can get some other ideas about how to improve your algorithmic relevance so that your products are searchable by random etsy shoppers. PM me if you want a few team recommendations.
I will, and thank you (and everyone else!) for taking the time to reply to my thread. :)

E.F.B just yesterday I saw themed items like Harry Potter house themed pillows that were just the colors of the houses. I think your idea is a good one. I'm in the beginning stages and I've been looking at what is already for sale to figure out how I can stand out. Good Luck.
Thanks for the input! Good Luck to you too. :)
 

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swest I'm in the planning stages and don't have a shop yet. Mind if I PM you later? Certainly!


E.F.B just yesterday I saw themed items like Harry Potter house themed pillows that were just the colors of the houses. I think your idea is a good one. I'm in the beginning stages and I've been looking at what is already for sale to figure out how I can stand out. Good Luck.

Thing with trademarked stuff being: most licensed agreements with sellers are contracted to be kept Private. That is, sellers cannot disclose in their descriptions and advertising that they are licensed (and selling legally). So you don't know just by searching whether a shop selling HP, NFL, etc. -themed stuff is licensed or illegal (a big reason etsy leaves policing to the entities in question). You can become a licensed seller if you have a solid idea that a trademark holder likes.